After All
by Becchan
Summary: In 02, the fued between Takeru and Daisuke goes a little to far under conveniently unstable circumstances. (Can you tell I don't like this fic? I think I'll rewrite it one day.)


Author's notes: Wha...? For once I have nothing to say before the fic... O.O;; CONSPIRACY!!!  
  
Disclaimer: ::sigh:: Okay ... just think about it... ::rolls eyes:: I mean, _really..._ sheez...  
  
  
**After All**  
  
_Anyone can see the road that they walk on  
Is paved in gold  
And it's always summer  
They'll never get cold  
They'll never get hungry  
They'll never get old and gray  
You can see their shadows wandering off  
Somewhere  
They won't make it home  
But they really don't care  
They wanted the highway  
They're happier there today  
Today  
_~Fastball, 'The Way'  
  
I sighed as the ground shuddered.  
  
"So... Explain to me again," I said. "WHY are we here instead of with the others."  
  
"Well, Daisuke... we don't really know," answered Hikari. "When we opened the Digiport, something must have malfunctioned, because we didn't end up where we were supposed to."  
  
"Yeah, we got a musty old fun-maze instead. And one with a vibrating floor, too!" Takeru said ruefully.  
  
"And WHY is the ground shaking?" I questioned.  
  
"Once again, we don't know. The ground is probably unstable."  
  
"Wonderful." I sighed again.  
  
Hikari stood up from where we were srawled out on the ground. "I guess I'll go look for a way out of this joint. You two stay here, okay?"  
  
"Hey, be careful, okay?" said Takeru.  
  
"Of course." Hikari grinned down at him, then jogged out into the hallway.  
  
There was a few minutes of uneasy silence.  
  
I looked over at him. "You know, just because you and Hikari have been friends for a long time doesn't mean that you automatically get her."  
  
"Hikari is my best friend, and I love her." He folded his arms. "And even if I didn't, I wouldn't let her be touched by the likes of you."  
  
I shot to my feet. "What was that?!"  
  
Takeru stood up as well. "You heard me. I wouldn't let you near Hikari, someone like you would just end up using her."  
  
"Nani? Why would I do that?" There was another one of those odd rumblings, shaking the room.  
  
"I dunno, maybe to impress Tai, or become more popular with other girls."   
  
"No way! I don't need to be more popular, I'm already the best in school." I glared at him. "Unlike _some_ freaks I know."  
  
"Which ones? Your goalie or your other defenders? 'Cause I'm sure _you're _not the reason you've been loosing all those soccer games."  
  
I snapped. I don't know why, maybe it was the utter confidence with which he argued, or his oh-so-calm demeanor, or maybe just because I was so stressed out, but the dam broke. I shot forward, socking him in the face. Takeru stumbled backwards, a hand clutched to his nose. He looked at me in shock. "Daisuke!"  
  
I didn't answer. I just swung at him again. He jumped away. I turned and sprang at him, knocking him to the floor. Takeru kicked out at me, and I slammed face-first into the dirt. The blonde boy sat up, touched his face gingerly, and glared at me, which I responded to with my own look of death, getting up and preparing to attack again. Before I could, however, he leaped over, pushed my back against the chamber wall, and punched me in the nose.   
  
"Kuso..." I muttered, feeling a thin line of blood trickle down my cheek. The chamber shuddered again.  
  
"Leave me alone," Takeru said in a flat voice. "And leave Hikari alone. We belong together. I know it. She knows it. The other Digidestined know it. Hell, even Piedmon knew it! She's not yours. Live with it." He turned his back and began to walk away. A big mistake.  
  
With a howl, I bolted at him, making him fall to the ground. I flipped him onto his back, and began hitting him mercilessly. He struggled to get away, but I sat on his stomach, my feet on his arms, preventing escape.  
  
"Daisuke..." Takeru gasped between blows. "Stop ... please..."  
  
I glared down at him, a pitiful sight. His face was scratched, and beginning to swell. Tears from his sapphire blue eyes mingled with blood and ran down his cheeks, staining both them and the ground. But I didn't care.   
  
"You shouldn't have tried," I said harshly. "You shouldn't have tried the keep me from Hikari. You _shouldn't_ have tried. That was a mistake, Takaishi Takeru, and you _will_ regret it." I hit him hard, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out.   
  
The room shook again, only very violently this time. I glanced around for a moment, then started punching Takeru again, cursing him under my breath. He glanced around best he could, and his eyes widened with horror. I followed his gaze.  
  
My mouth fell open in a silent scream. The ceiling was starting to crack into pieces!   
  
A few small pebbles fell to the ground, and Hikari came rushing back into the chamber. "Guys, I found a way out! Hurry! We have to get out of here! The whole place is coming down! Come- " She cut off, her eyes widening, "_Motomiya Daisuke!_ What are you doing?!"  
  
I sprang up, and pulled Takeru to his feet. "No time to explain, let's just get out of here!" Her eyes flitted questioningly to Takeru for a moment, then she nodded, and darted out the door, with me and Takeru right behind her.  
  
"I marked the right turns to take with piles of stones," Hikari yelled back to us. "Just look for them!"  
  
After a few minutes of running though what seemed like an endless maze, we stopped. Takeru slid to the ground, his face a picture of intense suffering. "You guys ... get out of here ... I can't go any farther..."  
  
Hikari's eyes widened. "No, Takeru! Come on! You can make it!"  
  
He smiled sadly. "Nah ... just go..."   
  
The ground shook, and the stones began to fall more rapidly. I grabbed Hikari's wrist. "Hurry! Let's go!" We started down the corridor, me half-dragging her away from Takeru.  
  
"But-but what about Takeru?" She choked, nearly in tears.  
  
"He'll survive," I grunted, trying to make her run faster.  
  
"How? This place is coming down around our ears! There's no way!"  
  
I stopped, and whirled around to face the girl. "Look, Hikari, he said to get out! Now let's go!" I said through gritted teeth.  
  
She glared at me. "This is all your fault, isn't it? If you hadn't been beating on him like you were, he'd have been able to make it!"   
  
"I- uh-"  
  
Hikari spun around to peer down the hallway, but the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy was already out of sight. "TAKERU!" she shouted in desperation. "TAKERU!"  
  
I tightened my grip on her and started pulling her towards the exit. "Come. ON!"  
  
"T. K. !" she said, slipping into use of his nickname.  
  
"Hikari! Come ON!" I pulled on her arm. She tried to squirm away.  
  
"NO! I won't go without T. K.!"  
  
I bit my lip. This wasn't working... Hikari seemed so set on going back for Takeru. Why wouldn't she just listen to me?! She has to know that I'm right! Why wouldn't she listen?!  
  
"Let me go, Daisuke!"  
  
"I won't!" She slid to the floor and started to cry.  
  
"Hikari!" I said through clenched teeth. "I'm trying to protect you! Can't you see that?"  
  
She looked up. her eyes narrowed. "Why?"  
  
I gulped. "Because-Because I love you!"  
  
Hikari lowered her eyes. "I can't believe that."  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
"If you really loved me, Motomiya Daisuke, then you would understand. I _have_ to go back! T. K. needs me! He's always been there for me, and I need to be there for him!"  
  
"Hikari..."  
  
"When I first came to the Digiworld, I was scared. Really scared. T. K. was my friend, my _best _friend, and he stayed with me through everything. When his brother left us, when I was sick, he even protected me from Piedmon! We promised that we'd always be there for one another, forever, even if it _did_ mean leaving all else for eternity! If I don't go back, I'll never be able to live with myself! I might have more of a chance to live, sure, but it wouldn't be much of a life!"  
  
I stood there, not moving, not trusting myself to speak.  
  
_"Hikari is my best friend, and I love her..."  
_  
The voices echoed in my mind.  
  
_"I need to be there... for him..."  
_  
_"We belong together. I know it. She knows it..."  
  
"Leaving all else for eternity..."  
  
"Live with it."  
_  
__Hikari's wrist fell, limp, from my grasp."Go, Hikari. Go."  
  
Her mouth opened in disbelief, and she slowly got up. She then put her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Daisuke," she whispered. "Thank you."  
  
Hikari turned and ran down the corridor. I watched her for a moment, the turned and walked toward the exit from the hallway. I didn't know if either of them would come out alive...  
  
...but at least they'd be together....  
  
After all, that's how it was supposed to be, right?  
  
Everyone knows it...  
  
Owari.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Gah... I don't really like this one... it just doesn't capture the... feeling... that I wanted it to... ::shrug:: ah well. Maybe by some faint chance one of yous peoples liked it... ::blink:: wow, Daisuke seems very hateful for a moment there... ::sigh:: it's 1:30 AM, Friday, and I'm exhausted... that explains it...  
  
Um, like always, please review, and puh-leeze leave your e-mail addy!  
Or, send comments to RedHedd10@aol.com  
  
Arigatou! Ja ne! ~~Becky-chan_  
_  
  
And by the way, if I get ONE Daisuke-bashing comment, I will explode! I mean it! Thank You.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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